The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-18
YANKEE GIRLS ABROAD.
How the American Girl Shines in
Europe and Why.

How the American Girl Shines in
Europe and Why.
Ed. Coicen in the Chicago News
The American girl in Europe is unlike
what the society critic pictures her. She is
not always seeking titled husbands, as the
constituencies satirist would have us believe;
nor is she an unconscious caricature, as |
have frequently seen her drawn by ungal-
liant pens. She is remarked in Europe for
an aggressive aSsertiveness which we at
nome glorify as Independence. Since Froude
has set the fashion our native persistence is
frowned upon as impudence, while
our mquisitiveness, the nucleus of
our inventive genius, is labelled
abroad as impertinence. The American
girl was peculiarly strong in these two
weaknesses Hence the unjust reflections
passed upon her. You can pick her out of
a thousand in Europe. Her indifference to
chaperonage; her self-poSsession under all
circumstances, from grave to gay her grace
of movement; her neat, close-fitting dress
rarely gaudy); her superior complexion,
and her claim of prerogative, impressed by
manner alone, make her alike conspicuous
on the dressy boulevards of Paris, and the
sombre byways of the Scotch highlands.
Letter writers of the press have done her
great injustice in the past, and should has
ten to make amends. Lucy Harper was
begging for an interesting thought when
she charged the American girl
with being gaslight sight
seeker in Paris. 1t isn't so. There are
few superannuated old widows in the colony
who essay to keep their blood in livelier
motion by nocturnal excitementS, but you
never find the American girl on these
Bohemian expeditions. Moreover, it is only
once in great while that she is seen at any
If fha 1o..
garity so often plays the part of wit and
rarely does she go to that saturnalia of
grossness-the opera bouffe In short,
among all the travelling women of the
world she patronizes the French arts of i'm
morality the least. AT the Folies Bergere
and the Eden you nightly see English and
German women in droves; an American not
once in month. So it runs at London,
Berlin, Vienna and wherever have been |
can discover no morbid regard in the
American girl for the every night reaisms
of European vice. Among the unfortunates
of this continent she is not found, and they
represent every other nationality under the
sun.
A WRONG IDEA OF HER.
There is a canting unanimity on the part
of pretentious writers and observers to de-
fame the American girl in Europe as an off
spring not purely representative. Her
father has become suddenly rich her par
ents are vulgar farmers; She is putting on
airs abroad on starving allowance; this is
her first year out of school; her mother is
hunting a husband for her. the whole family
is crazy to meet royalty so that they can ga
home and forever more brag about it-these
and a hundred Others are the ISLANDERS that
distort the American girl out of all natural
and decent shape. The Prince of Wales has
been meeting her all his life, yet
Nb,V,
that he had not yet seen the
ideal American girl Everyone the
prince had smiled ON to date-this was in
Homburg-was a mere adventures, ac-
cording. to Mr.. Depew. The real article
never came across the ocean because she
didn't care to cultivate royalty; she had an
abundan ce of high moral and humane en-
Payments that kept her at home. Mr. De
pew didn't say so much in so many words,
but that was the very plain inference of
his remarks Now, protest this is not fair.
Mr.. Depew, in aiming to saya clever thing
or two for the American girl at home, over
shot the mark and hit the American girl
abroad. Hereafter, in the eyes of the prince
since he placed high estimation on Mr.
Depew's say so--the American girl who
seeks his distinguished presence can never
hope to command his full respect nor
to escape a certain royal suspicion that she
trywomen. II Mr.. Depew We're, on the
other hand, slyly singeing his Falstaffian
friend, we can forgive him, for it is perhaps
true that the American girl might be better
employed than seeking royal acquaintances,
Yet the reign of natural law prescribes.
among other things, that nationality shall
not exempt a woman from curiosity, and it
would be queer beyond understanding if
the most prudish and exalted of American
girls could run through a European season
without attempting to look upon the coun-
tenance of royalty.
What | wanted to demonstrate is, that the
American girl in Europe is quite as typical
as the American girl at home: that it makes
no difference with her whether she is max
ing pumpkin pies IN New England, leading
the german in New York, dipping in the
surf at Alameda, shining in solitude on
gulf plantation, or romping through the
effete monarchies-she is an American, and
noticeably better than any other kind of a
girl that grows.
SHE sNUBs THE PRINCE OF WALES
The only snub the Prince of Wales ever
received at Homburg was administered by
an American girl, and in such a manner as
TO take the breath away from her mother
1t was the season the Prince fell on the salon
floor with Miss Winslow while Waiting.
He had overcharged himself with wine at
dinner. presently ne caught sight OF this
Southern girl, distinguished-loolzing hand
some and passionately fond of dancing, who
had, some days previous, been introduced to
him. He dispatched an equerry to summon
her for a waltz. On the instant and while
her mother was dumfounded for want of a
suitable reply, she said: Convey my regrets
to his royal highneSs and inform him that ]
shall dance no more this season.
But you forget, miss" continued the
emissary, "that this is royal command. y
"But you forget, sir,n said she, indig-
nantly, "that am an American and am
not accustomed TO obeying royal com
mands."
At this the equerry vanished and the
young ladys mother recovered her breath.
The plucky Southerner kept her word by
abstaining from dancing the remainder of
the season. If Mr.. Depew can dig up any
more Americanism than this for Prince AL